AN EGYPTIAN GESSO PAINTED WOOD SARCOPHAGUS MASK, LATE PERIOD, 664-332 BC
Lot 16 - ANT1125

Ancient Egypt. The mummy mask carved in the form of a human face with large almond-shaped eyes outlined in black, above fine brows, a straight nose, and full lips rendered with subtle incision. The surface retains traces of white paint as the ground, with the eyes painted in black and the lips faintly tinted.

Condition: Good condition with old wear, commensurate with age. Natural imperfections, past insect activity, age cracks and losses to the material as generally expected from ancient Egyptian wood fragments. Obvious rubbing and flaking to pigment.

Provenance:
- The Philippe Stoll Collection (1926-2009) in Strasbourg, France.
- Hôtel des Ventes des Notaires, Entzheim, 24 April 2010, lot 46.
- Galerie Jean-David Cahn AG in Basel, Switzerland, acquired from the above.
- The S. Collection, Germany, acquired in 2011 from the above.
- Cahn Contemporary in Bagnolet, France, acquired from the above.

Philippe Stoll (1926–2009) was an artist from Bas-Rhin, France, whose works and collections have been offered at auction multiple times, with pieces acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Galerie Jean-David Cahn AG is a Basel‐based antiquities dealership founded in 1999, continuing over 150 years of family activity in the art trade. The gallery specializes in Greek, Roman, and Egyptian ancient art (ca. 4000 BCE to 400 CE), dealing in sculpture, terracotta, vase painting, glass, jewellery, and coins. Galerie Cahn exhibits at major fairs like TEFAF New York, and Frieze Masters London, and serves collectors worldwide, including distinguished institutions such as the Louvre, the Glyptothek Munich, and The Met in New York.

Cahn Contemporary, a gallery in Bagnolet (France) and Basel (Switzerland), was founded by David Cahn and is dedicated to fostering the dialogue between contemporary artists and archaeological art.

Weight: 266 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 13 cm (excl. stand), 21.3 cm (incl. stand)

With an associated, modern stand. (2)

This mask once covered the mummified body of an individual, its large painted eyes serving as symbolic windows through which the deceased could continue to view the world. While the mask bears no signs of royal affiliation, the elaborate and costly mummification that prepared the owner for the afterlife suggests a person of high social standing. It most likely functioned as the facial component of a composite coffin board, a genre that first appeared around 2000 BCE and is attested in a variety of forms and materials through to the Roman period (ca. 3rd century CE).

Literature comparison:
Compare a related mummy mask, dated to 800-300 BC, 25.5 cm high, in the Brücke-Museum Berlin, inventory number H 93.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s London, 29 April 2010, lot 182
Price: GBP 10,000 or approx. EUR 21,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Egyptian gesso painted wood sarcophagus mask, Late period, circa 3rd century B.C.
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, similar expression and date. Note the size (24 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s London, 29 November 2017, lot 114
Price: GBP 10,000 or approx. EUR 17,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Egyptian wood mummy mask, 3rd Intermediate Period, 1075-716 B.C.
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling, coloration, similar expression. Note the size (18.5 cm) and earlier date.